


Making Friends and Influencing People

by Skyepilot



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Bahrain, Coulson gets reckless when it comes to Skye, Coulson loves Skye, Everyone loves a scary bad guy though right?, F/M, Feels, Gen, Melinda May - Freeform, Season 2 Speculation, Skye is Coulson's family, Skye's dad is scary, Skye's father is evil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-17
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 19:06:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2320172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyepilot/pseuds/Skyepilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 2 promo feels ficlet.  Dark thoughts about Skye's dad and speculation.  Title taken from the Season 2, Episode 3 title.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Making Friends and Influencing People

**Author's Note:**

> Season 2 says it's going to explore Melinda May and Bahrain. I think it's possible that Skye's father (referred to as "The Doctor" in promo materials) is also the cult leader from Bahrain, using mind-control. I also think he might have a connection to ZODIAC (Peggy Carter: Agent of SHIELD), sort of the Ra's Al Ghul of AOS. Pure speculation, but that's what brought this about.

“What exactly _is_ the nature of your relationship to my daughter?”

Coulson stared across the empty office floor between them, 25 floors up, past him to the metropolis below.  It glowed in the darkness.

If he was who Coulson thought he was, this fit his M.O.  The abandoned building, the elevated, expansive view of everything beneath him.  

He had wanted to see it for himself, firsthand, before getting Skye and May involved.

Even knowing the risk, knowing that they would both be outraged he was here. 

Alone.

The “Doctor” obviously had his own shadow connections, able to pass information on to one of SHIELD’s hired hands in a way so casually that it unsettled him, sent red flags flying.  Like the man didn’t even know he had carried the message directly to Coulson.

That had been the first clue.

“We're her family,” Coulson answered sternly.

The man was about his height, of a similar age, and his chuckle sounded more like a threat.

“Something funny?”

“Director, I’m well aware my daughter joined your ‘save the world' club of her own free will. What I want to know is what her relationship is _to you_.”

“She's family,” he answered again.

“Yes,” he said, taking a step forward.  “You said that.  But as you can see, Skye already has a father.”

“And you've done _so much_ for Skye,” he replied sarcastically.  “All of these years...”

“Do you feel threatened by me at all?” he teased.

“Not really,” Coulson answered honestly.  “Just looking out for my people.  You don’t get to collect her, though. Like she’s an object.”

He said the last part very calmly, but he noticed the other man’s eyes move towards his hand, and realizing too late, Coulson unclenched his fist.

The man was reading all his cues.  Studying every detail of his behavior. 

This wasn’t an introduction, it was an examination.

“I _have_ been looking for her, Director Coulson," he corrected. "But, it need not come to that.  I can be _very_ persuasive.”

“ _You mean like you were in Bahrain?_ ”

Coulson watched the man’s eyes widen briefly, like a cornered animal, then narrow, peering back at him.  Coulson felt himself tense as he watched him calculate this new information, readying to strike.

“A youthful indiscretion,” the man said, suddenly relaxing.  He tossed out a laugh, shrugged it off.

Coulson felt let he might throw up; the feeling of disgust and rage rising so quickly from the pit of his stomach he could barely contain it.

It was confirmation.

“You will stay away from Skye,” he said, slowly, evenly.  Very much a threat.

“Skye will come to me when she’s ready. When she wants to embrace her _true_ nature.  I’m sensing...it might be quite hard on you, though.”

The mock sincerity dripping off the man’s words triggered outrage in him.

“You might not know this, since you pretty much missed _all_ of her life,” he seethed.  “But Skye doesn't need you. She wasn’t even looking for you.  She decides who she is.  And she figured that out without any of your help. If anyone is to be pitied, it's you. For missing out.”

“Perhaps some fatherly advice for _you_ , then?” he answered, his voice sounding removed, far off.

Coulson felt the corners of his vision darken.

“It's very foolish to fall for a girl half your age.”

He glanced up at the man as he staggered, shook his head to clear it.

“ _You never know when she might up and walk away…_ ”

He woke up on the floor, still dark outside, inside the abandoned building.

The thick fog of something releasing its last tendrils from him.

The Doctor wasn’t standing there anymore.

Looking down over himself, scanning his person, nothing seemed, felt, out of place.

But he found himself feeling stricken, afraid. 

He had already lost so much to this man.

And the scar across his heart was burning.


End file.
